Automatic spark control



! April 30, I929. H. L. BASHAM H AUTOMATIC SPARK CONTROL 'Filed Jan. 10, 1928 gave fez Patented Apr. 30, 1929.

UNITED STATES HARM n BASHAM, F WOODIBURY, TENNESSEE.

AUTOMATIC SPARK CONTROL.

Application filed January 10, 1928; Serial No, 245303;

This invention relates to a sparkcontrol for internal combustion engines, and has for one of its objects to provide a novel, simple and inexpensive device of this character which shall be especially adapted for use in connection with the timer of an internal co1nbastion engine of that type known as the Ford, which shall be adapted to be operated by the fan of the engine in a manner to ad vance the position of the shell of the timer in exact relation to thespeed of the engine, and which shall be adapted to be supported from the steering column of the automobile equipped with the engine and readily connected to the fan and to the timer shell.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the nature of which will appear as the description proceeds; the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of an internal combustion engine equipped with a spark control embodying my invention, and

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the engine and spark control.

8 Referring in detail to the drawing, 1 designates the cylinder block. 2 the timer, and flthe fan of an internal combi stion engine of the type known as the Ford. The timer 2 comprises a shell l: which is mounted to permit it to he turnedin one direction to advance of the spark and in the opposite dir tion to T'F'llllil the spark. The fan 3 embodies a hub 5, blades 6 and a pulley 7", and it is mounted upon a shaft 8 which is supported from the cylinder block 1 by a socket f).

The spark control comprises a lever 10 which is pivotally mounted between its ends, as at 11, upon a bracket 12 which sec ired, as at 13, to and extends upwardly from the steering; column of the automobile equipped with the engine. The lever 10 is provided at opposite sides of its pivot 11 with open-.

inns 15 and 16 which extend longitudinally thereof. One end. of the lever 10 is connected to the arm 17 of the timer shell 4 by a link 18. and the other end of the lever is connected to the arm 19-01% an elbow lever 20 by a link 21. The link 18 passes through one of the openings 15, and the link 21 passes through one of the openings 16,the openings permitting the links tobe connected to the lever at diflerent distances from its pivot 11. l

The levers 10 and 19 are horizontally arranged, and the lever 20 is pivoted, as at 22, upon the rear end of a horizontal arm 23 secured to and extending rearwardly from the vertical arm of the bracket 9; The arm 23 may be bolted or welded or secured iin any other suitable manner to the bracket 9. The other arm Qat of the lever 20 is providedat its free end with an upstanding lug25 which is positioned at the rear end. of the shaftfi and is provided in its front sidewith a con -1 cave recess 26 axially alined with the shaft.

The shaft 8 is hollow, andfslidablyiand r0- tatably mounted therein is a rod 27 which has its rear end positioned in the recess 26 ofjthe; lever lug 25 and 1s provided at its front end with a head 28 having a rounded front side.

A plate' is secured, as at B0, to the front side of the fan hub 55, and it provided with forwardly directed and angularlyrelated arms 31 and with an opening 32 for the pas sage of the rod 2. Elbow levers are pivoted as at 34 to the arms 51, and present inwardly directed arms 35 and rearwardly direoted arms 36. The arms 35 contact at their free ends with the head 28, and the arms 36 are provided at their free ends with weights 37. A coil spring 38 which is socured to the pivotll and to the lever arm 1%),

constantly urges the weights 3? inwardly or in the direction of each other.

When the engine is at rest, the spring 38 holds the timer shell 4 in its fully retarded positiomaml it also holds the, weights 37 in their innermost imi'aitions. The spring, 38 will hold the timer their 4- and the weights 37in those positions while the engine is operating will move the link 21 forwardly and thelink 18 laterally, with tharcsult that the timer shell 4 will be rotated in a direction to ad- The rod 27 will rock the lever 20 vance the spark. The advancement of the speed of the engine reduces, the spring 28 Will move the parts in the reverse direction, with the result that the spark will be retarded.

It should be understood that the drawing is merely illustrative and does not pretend to give exact proportions. Furthermore, the said drawing is illustrative of a preferred construction, it being my expectation that various changes and modifications may be made Without departing'fi'dm the spirit and scope of my invention.

What is claimed is 1. A spark ct'uitrol for the timer of an internal combustion engine, comprising a hollow rotatable .men'iber driven from the engine, a lever pivot-ally supported between its ends, a link connecting one end of the lever to the shell of the timer, an elbow lever pivotally supported adjacent one end of the member, a link connecting the other end of said first lever to one end of the elbow lever,a spring urging the elbow lever in one direction, a

pivoted between its ends to the vertical arm,

a link adjustably connected to one end of the lever and connected to the shell of the timer, an elbow lever occupying a horizontal posi tion and pivoted to the horizontal arm and having one of its ends provided with an upstanding lug located adjacent an end of the shaft,a link adjustably connected to the other end of said first lever and to the other end of the elbow lever, a. rod slidably mounted in the shaft and contacting at one end with the lug, weighted levers pivotally connected to the member and contacting with the other end of the rod, and a spring; connected to the elbow lever and to the vertical arm.

internal combustion engine, comprising a hollow shaft supported on the engine, a member rotatably mounted on the shaft and driven from the engine, a rod slidably carried by the shaft, weighted levers pivoted to the rotatable member and contacting with an end of the rod, an elbow lever pivotally supported from the engine and provided-at one end with a leg contacting with the other end of the rod, a lever pivotally mounted bet-ween its ends, a link connecting one end of the elbow lever and one end of said last lever, a link connecting the other end of said last lever and the shell of the timer, and a spring urging the elbow lever inone direction.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HARM L. BAsI-IAM.

o. A spark control for the timer of an 

